Stacker.



E. A. ROAUH.

STAOKER. I

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1913.

Patented July 21, 1914-,

2 SHEETSSHEET l Witnesses inventw D Attorneys ZI/Z/ 44 4/ E. A. ROAGH. STAGKBRJ APPLICATION, FILED JULY 24, 1913.

Patented July 21, 1911 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses Attorneys UNITED; srArns PAT NT. "FFICE...

EDSON A. ROACH, OF BORDULAC, NORTH- DAKOTA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF '10 DAVID M. GRAHAM, or BonnULAc, NORTH DAKOTA.

s'rAcKEn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J ully 21, 1914.

Application filed luly 24,1913. Serial No. 781,015.

To allxwfiom it may concern Be it known that L'EDSON A. ROACH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Bordulac, in the county of forming stacks of hay, shocks of grain and the like, one of the objects of the invention being to provide a shock or stack former mounted upon a wheel supported structure and which can be built upon or connected to one'side of a harvester so as to move forwardly therewith whereby the bundles, as delivered from the harvester, may be directed to the former.

Another object is to provide a shock former or stacker having a drop bottom slidably and tiltably connected to the wheel. supported structure, said bottom being provided with'means whereby the bundles or other material mounted within the former will be discharged positively from the drop bottom and onto the ground without dragging the material over the field and breaking up the stack or shocks.

A further object is to provide improved means for disengaging the machine from the deposited stack or shock.

1th the foregoing and other ob ects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described a-nd claimed it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention ,herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawingsthe pre ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In saiddrawings:Figure 1 is a side elevation of themachine, the bottom'being shown in its lowermost position and the various parts being illustrated in; the positions assumed thereby while the machine is being disengaged from the deposited stack or shock. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 21-13- Fig. 2, the bottom of the former being elevated and being closed. big. at is'a section on line G D Fig. 8. I

connected thereto and adapted to be held. normally closed against the arch 3 by jgdspring 6. An arm 7 extends rearwardly from the middle portion of the arch and supports a guide sheave 8 which, in turn,

is engaged by a gate actuating cable 9 one end of which is secured to the gate while the other end extends over a guide sheave 10 supported by a standard 11:11: the front end ofthe machine. From this guide sheave the table 9 extends downwardly to a drum 12 secured to a transverse shaft 13 -journaled above the platform 2. This shaft may be rotated by means of a chain 14 engaging a.

large sprocket 15 on shaft 13 and a small sprocket. 16 secured to a shaft 17, this last named shaft adapted to be actuated in anv sultable manner, as by means of a crank 18. A ratchet wheel 19 may be secured to shaft 17 and can be held against rotation in anv preferred manner, as by means of a dog 2f) It is to be understood that this mechanism for raising and lowering the gate is onlv one of various types of mechanism which can be used for the same purpose and I do not wish to be restricted to the construction shown and described. I

' Mounted to travel along the outwardly are rollers 21 from which depend hangers 22, these hangers having inturned lpwer terminals which are pivotally and slidablv en-- gagcd by ears 23 extending forwardly from "the front ends of the sides 25 of the bottom of the shock former.

The sides 25 are connected by an imperforateportion shown at 26 and which may be made of sheet metal, boards or other desired m ateriah this imperforate portion extending almost entirelv the length of the sides 25. Projecting from the rear edge of the imperforate portion 26 are spring prongs or elongated teeth 27 projecting beyond the rear ends of the sides When the. bottom is in its normal or forwardly extended position, the front end thereof lies close to and under the rear edge of the platform 2 while the rear-ends of prongs or teeth 27 lie upon the lower bar by. Cables 28 are connected to the rear end portions of the sides 26 and extend" up- 'wardly'over ide-sheaves 29 mounted upon the side portions of the yoke 4, these cables then extending forwardly over guide sheaves 3O and'thence to winding spools 31 secured to the shaft 13. Standards 32 are secured to the angular side strips 1 and are 33 securedto the sides-of the yokes 3 and 4, the spaces between the top strips 33 and the side'strips' 1 and between the standards 32 being closed with sheet-metal or the like so "shown in Flg. 2.

The front endsof the sides are connected to thefront ends of the side strips 1 as to formimperforate sidewalls 34, these .side walls diverging rearwardly, asclearly by chains or the like which are secured to coiled springs 36 so that, when the bottom. of the shock former formed by the walls 34 is held stationary during the forward movement of the saidwalls 34, as hereinafter setforth, the chains 35 and springs 36 will yieldingly'limit the relative movement lejfthewalls34 and the bottom of the shock former.

A V -shaped space former 37'is extended position,

longitudinally along the center of the shock former and the sides of this space formerconverge rearwardly,

'the said space former being projected beyondthe rear ends of the I imperforate portions' 26 of the bottom and .I 35.

up to the free ends of the prongs or teeth 27. Thus, when the bottom is held in raised the shock former is divided into two compartments by the space former. Mounted upon the bottom of each of these compartments is a table 38 having transverse rollers 39 and 40 adjacent its respec-' tive ends, said table normally bearing downwardly upon another'roller 41 which extends --'-:\:'JZ 'JSS the rear edge of the imperforate portion 26 of the bottom. Chains or other flexible devices 42 may'ponnect the front ends of the tables to spools 43 secured to shaft 13, or, if preferred, these chainscan be attached directly to the platform 2. I

Under normal. conditions the bottom; of the shock former is supported-in raised position with its front edge close to therear edge of platform 2 and the rear ends of the teeth 27 under the closed gate-5. The bottom is supported in this position by'the cables 28 which are wound on spools 31, the

said-spools being held against rotation by ,dbg-QQ and ratchet wheel 19, or in any other .zinanner preferred. With'the parts thus disjjosed, chains 35 are slack, as shown in Fig.

Furthermore with the parts thus located, the tables 38 are mounted on the imperforate portion 26 of the bottom and with their front edges adjacent the rear edge of 55 the plat-form 2 and their rear edges over--' I of its supporting .means,

hanging the front end s'ofxthe prongs or teeth 27, roller 39, at this tim e,.-being practically in'contact with roller .41.:With the parts thus positioned the material to be formed in a stack or shock is de osited in the shock former at the sides oft e space-former 37 f some of this material being piled on prongs .27 while the remaining material is piled on fithe'tables 38; When a sufiicient amount of connected at their upper ends by top-strips material has beenplaced in the shock former and it is. desired'to form a stack or shock,

the dog 20 is shifted so as to release ratchet wheel 19 and thus permit the spools 12, 31

and 43 to. rotate. .As the rear end of the bottom of the shock former is thus relieved swing downwardly .into

eient to cause the cables 28', while unwindin from the spools 31, to rotate shaft '13 an thus wind cable 9 upon spool 12. At the same time chains 42 will be unwound from their spools and thus remain slack. As the. machine is moving forward during-this op-' said bottom will contact the ground and the weight'of the. bottom and the material supported z-ther'eby will be sulfieration, it will be seen that the bottom of the shock former will "be held stationary Lby above the prongs'or' teeth 27. These parts shock former will be jerked forwardly suddenly, the springs 36 yielding to a vslight extent so as to prevent injury: to theparts during this sudden forward jerking. This quick erking of the bottom will besu'tlicient to draw the prongs or teeth 27 ,from' under that portion 1 of the shock engaging the ground -and'the inclined tables 38' will move gradually down the inclined bottom of jthe shock former as the machine moves forward.

the shock gradually. closer to v thus bringing the ground. As soon as the tables'38 have passed to the positions shown in Fig. 1, at which time the prongs 'or -teeth 27 are entirely disengaged from the shock, chains 42 reason of its frictional contact with the ground and the frictional engagement with the ground of those portions of theshock will remain stationary until the Ch ins 35 are drawn taut whereby the bottom'of the' become taut and the tables'38' are thus suddenly jerked from under those portions of the shock resting thereon so that said portions are thus left'standing on the ground.

Obviously, therefore, the entire stack or shock can-be deposited on .the ground Without danger of being scattered over the field.

After the machine has been moved a suf- .ficient distance to be entirely clear-of the-deposited stack or shock,,the shaft. 13 canbe I rotated so as to cause the chains 42 and the 'cables 28 to wind upon their spools and the cable!) to unwind. Tnus'the arts will be restoredto. their initial positi ns, the gateswinging downwardly to its closed position.

The foregoing",operati on can then be re- Peated.

It is to be understood that any mechanism other than that described cun'bc ussil for returning the bottom to its initial. position, for sliiftingtlie tables bacl; to their normal positions; and for operating the gate.

.lt is to be. understood that if lesirecl the a! nally along the inn torn ancl. between tbs prongs.

2. The combination w'th a movable main structure, of a bottom,'1ncans connecting the front end of the bottom to said structure for rearward and upward and flownwsrd'swinsing movement, said bottom. including an inipcrforato front portion and rcarvm 'olly extending prongs, flexible means for limitingthe rearward inoveinsnt of the bottom relatire to the Il'llllil structure, and means under the control of the operator for swinging the bottom upwardly anti shifting it longituclinally to its initinlposition, said bottom being adapted to swing downwardly at its rear end out of normal positionnncl into contact with the ground; I

The combination with a inovably supported main structure, of sbottom connect at]. at its fl-(intend to said structure'to slide forwardly and rearwarclly and to swing up- Wardl 1 and downwardl relative thereto said bottom including an iinperforzite front portion and reorwnrdly extending prongs, flexible means for yi klingly liinltin the rearward movement cl said bottom re stive to the main structure, and means for elevating the bottom and shifting it forwardly to tzition of the bottom into contact wit in the prcsenco its normal pos tion after being swung clowninto contact with the ground.

V combination with a movably sup 11minstructure, oil :1 bottom movnblo with the ground, means for producing nioniontari pause in tho forward movement of the bottom. when chopped into contact ,witli t'is 'grouncl anti curing the "forward nioveine atlnptcl i L i'it of the Join structure; a table to t. l downwardly upon tbsans for limiting such move le.

In at mac no of the class dcscribed the combin tion Wl. li a movable main strnctnrc c1: :1 bottom adapted to swing downwardly relative thereto into contact with the grounoi, ssirl bottom including renrn'nrtllg," extending prongs, a table normally support ocl upon the frontportion of the bottom 'aiilil.

aclnpted to gravitate rcnrwnrdly'tliercnlong when tlio bottom is swung downwarclly, nncl means for abruptly limiting such movementoi: the table.

6. ln a machine of the class, described, the

combination with a movable main structura and a bottom connected thereto at its front oml and nolnpteol to swing downwaitlly snail upwardly r l tivc thereto and to slide longgi tuclinslly to to the mainstructure bottom inclu ing; rsz iwarclly entcnc ling,

irongs of means for norninlly supgioitingg the bottom in raised and forward. position,

said-moans, when released, permitting "invithe ground, a table nornmlly movably mounted? upon the front portion of tile bottom, table being adapted to travel reern nrtllg' along. tlic bottom when lowered and moans for abruptly limiting such movement m:-

table.

In testimony that 1 claim the as my own, I have hereto eilixecl my signstnnn of two Witnesses EDSON A, llGA Jl-l. l fitnesses:

' Ancos lEnnonsoN,

A0 WEE'ILAND.

downwardly relative. thereto into Contact pped into contact with tho 

